It was not the army of the Rose Princess of Hell that appeared from the depths of the narrow passageway.
　It was a warrior (fighter) wearing a gold circlet and silvery white holy armor.
　Underneath the armor, he was wearing some kind of ceremonial clothing, but it was torn and covered in blood. He doesn't look injured, though, so he must have healed his injuries with potions after taking damage.

　"This is Erminio Drouet, the leader of the Daring Drouet.

"Good to see you, sir!

　Edgar called out, but Erminio ignored him.
　With a grim face, he strode toward Loretta and suddenly grabbed her as if to choke her (he might have wanted to grab her breasts, but they were exposed and full).

What?　What the ......?
Loretta, you ......!

　Herminio trembled with rage and pointed in the direction of where he was coming from.
　There were the remains of the magic item that Loretta had taken out of her storage spell and cut up by the spinning saw.

Why did you do that?　Do you have any idea how much that thing costs?　How many lives do you think that thing could buy?
Erminio, because I was attacked by a trap: ......
There's no such thing as a "because"!

　You'll be able to get a lot more than that.
　Erminio immediately punched Loretta in the cheek. He was probably trying not to kill her, but he didn't hesitate for a second.

　Fresh blood poured out of Loretta's mouth as she fell.
　She must have cut her mouth open.

"......Uh......
That's what you get for betraying my trust!　You betrayed my trust, you should have carried your baggage and tried to find a way to survive until the end!　That's why women's brains are so ......!
"Goben...... Naza...... Erminio......

　In a half-cry, Loretta sullenly apologizes to Erminio, who yells at her.
　Loretta knows that there is no point in arguing at a time like this.

　Erminio's good mood is more important than her own pride in order to win a fortune.
　Besides, to Erminio, magic items are just things that he can ask his parents for.
　To Erminio, the magic item is just something that he can ask his parents for. He is just angry that his face has been damaged. He'll get over it.

He'll be in a better mood soon enough. "Hey, mister ......, this is not the time for that. We'll talk about it when you get home. ......
............ Shit. Hey, Loretta, pick that up for me.
Yes, .......

　Edgar intervenes and Erminio resolves the conflict.
　He's an adventurer, too, and he's not foolish enough to stand alone in the middle of hostile territory yelling at each other endlessly.
　Loretta re-collected the pile of magic items (including the wreckage) into her storage spell.

'This is your fault too, Edgar. You overlooked the transference trap. This will be deducted from your reward. Remember that.
"Hey, .......

　Edgar didn't talk back.

　There was a good reason why he had overlooked the transfer trap.
　I don't know why it was detected even though I had blocked its presence with magic items and hid myself from its surroundings by projecting a phantom image, and I don't know how or where I could have placed the trap to create a transition zone in such a place. It was an unknown technology.
　I wanted to excuse myself and say that it wasn't Edgar's lack of ability, but that there was something wrong with the other party, and I wanted to find out what it was before I left if possible, but telling Erminio now would only make him angry. It would be better to wait a little while.

You didn't get caught in the transition zone, did you?　Do you know how to get here?
Of course I do. There was a hidden door or something along the way, but I put a wedge in it to keep it shut.
All right, then, let's head back that way.

　The three of them move quickly.
　The narrow paths in the dungeon were unlit, but thanks to the "owl glasses," there was no difficulty in getting around.
　In addition, Edgar put on a pair of monocles, which he hooked over his glasses.

　To Edgar's eyes, the walls and floors of the labyrinth seemed to be decorated with lines of blue-white light that formed geometric trails.
　This pair of glasses is a magic item called the "Craftsman's Lens," which allows you to see the magical power flowing through an object. If you can see the magic tank inside the structure and where the magic is flowing from there, you can get a rough idea of where the trap is.
　The rest is a matter of your skill as a thief.

Give me one of them.
Hey.

　Edgar, who was dressed strangely, wearing a pair of dark glasses over each eye, handed one of his "master's lenses" to Erminio.
　Erminio begins to walk around, looking at his surroundings. Loretta followed behind him, looking deflated.

'Now that the trap has been activated, the enemy will be aware of it. It's too dangerous for us to be separated in this state. Let's get out of here first.
...... What about you, holy knights?
It would be best if they could join us, but they may not be alive. It's not a good idea to look for them.
　It's their job to keep me safe. If I risk my life to save theirs, then we're talking at cross purposes. If I see you on the way and can help you, I'll help you.
"Yes, sir.

　Erminio says as if it were obvious.


　Edgar was not without his thoughts, but he did not say anything in particular.
　What was important to Edgar was the reward he would receive from the Drouet family, and for that, it was important for him to return alive.
　Loretta, of course, had no objection.

　The three of them hurried home as if they were being pushed by eerie footsteps echoing from somewhere.
　Since Edgar had already been to this place by himself, he had already found most of the traps, and the walk was so smooth that it was hard to believe that they were walking through a dungeon.

　However, when they entered a small room with what looked like construction materials, Erminio stopped.

...... Edgar, what's that?　Is there anything buried under the ground?

　Erminio was looking straight down.

　When Edgar followed Erminio's gaze, he saw through the flow of magic that covered the floor like a net, far below.
　There was a closed, box-like flow of magic in the ground, completely unrelated to the flow of magic in the dungeon.

It looks like a treasure chest to me.
Yes, it does. It's an independent flow of magic, so it's probably not part of the dungeon but a treasure chest buried underground. It's got some kind of magical trap.
Can you dig it out?
I'm sure we can. Miss, is the Wand of the Gnome's Left Hand safe?

　I'm not sure if it was the potion or the magic that did it, but the wound on her face was better.

"...... <
　A dejected Loretta used a storage spell and pulled out a wand from the void and shot it at Edgar.
　At first glance, it looks like a common magic wand.

　This is the Wand of the Gnome's Left Hand. It is an item that can knead earth and stone and reconstitute them into any shape.

"Stop the flow of magic first. This will partially disable the dungeon's magical defenses.

　Edgar assessed the flow of magic power through the floor and drove the wedge-shaped item into it.
　Then the line of light that stretched out from there disappeared.
　This is a "wedge of undoing," an item that has the effect of removing minor magical effects, but it also has the effect of cutting off the flow of magical power like this if you find the right place to drive it in.

　When the wedge was driven in several places, a gap was created in the flow of magic that had been running horizontally and vertically.
　Like an insect-eaten hole, there was a gaping hole in the middle of the room.

There it is!

　Edgar swung the staff of the Gnome's Left Hand at the hole.

　The light from the wand shot out, and the stone floor in the center of the room melted into a hole, and the soil beneath it was raked and dug into.
　Next, the soil and stones were pushed away and went under the box in the ground.
　The sandy soil swirled in the vertical hole, pushing up the box-like object as if it were a geyser.

　A magnificent gray-silver treasure chest popped out of the hole in the floor.
　Below it, the hole fills up and the box lands on the floor.

"Yes!

　Edgar threw up his fist.
　It was a massive treasure chest. It's unpretentious, but it looks sturdy and practical.

It's a brand new treasure chest. Was it recently buried?

　Erminio says, looking at the treasure chest.
　The treasure chest was somewhat stained with dirt, but there was no sign of damage or deterioration.

　Immediately taking out his favorite tool, Edgar began to examine the treasure chest.
　After attaching three disks that looked like small plates to detect the wavelength of magic, Edgar raised his thumb and looked back at Erminio.

"Sir, you've hit the jackpot with this one.
Do you know what's in it?
I'm not sure yet, but the magic trap in this treasure chest is designed to kill.
　...... Traps to kill intruders are usually placed in places that seem to be hidden but can be easily found by searching. The purpose is to kill the idiots who are in a good mood after finding a treasure chest.
　This box, on the other hand, is hidden in such a way that it can never be found, but it has a terrible trap. In other words, it's a treasure you really want to hide.
Oh, ......, you mean the magic sword Teila Ayul is in here?
It's just the right size for it.

　Size of the box. How to hide it. A deadly trap.
　The situation seemed to point to it.
　Even if it wasn't Teyla Ayul, there was no doubt that there was something very important hidden in there. And the person who hid it was probably the Rose of Hell.

　What adventurer wouldn't be thrilled to find a treasure chest that looks so important?

Can you open it?
Can you open it?" "With the Male Unlock.

　Edgar replied in a serious, joking manner.

　Adventurers commonly call it "unlocking" when they step over a trap, knowing the damage or harm it will do.
　This is the unlocking version of that. It means to open a box without worrying about traps being activated.

This box has a trap that goes off when you try to cast a spell or unlock it.
　I'd probably be able to help you unlock the trap, but I probably wouldn't have enough time to open it.
　There are signs that an alarm was triggered when the door was moved.
"Well, that's too late. It's probably already been discovered.

　The enemy has the advantage of location.
　If they catch us, they'll go around us and surround us. The situation was a race against time.

You'll need a lot of protection and a lot of ...... traps, so you'll need a sacrificial lamb necklace. The necklace will probably be broken, but then you'll be done in five seconds.
"............ Okay, fine. Do it!



　Herminio had made his decision.
　It could be said that he was blinded by the treasure chest in front of him.
　Erminio was not motivated by money, but he was a sucker for rare magic items and above all, he was greedy for praise.
　"If he brought back a valuable item from the nest of the Rose Princess of Hell, which was carefully hidden, wouldn't that be a great achievement, second only to defeating her?　It's not hard to imagine ...... Erminio thinking so.
　It's a good thing that you're not the only one who has a problem with this.

　Loretta pulls out all of the talismans from the storage spell, and then pulls out a necklace of some sort of bone and tusk that looks like it could be used in a pagan ritual.
　This is a magic item called the Sacrificial Lamb Necklace. It is designed to attract nearby ranged magic attacks to the wearer.

　After putting on the necklace, Edgar activated a large number of protective talismans, nearly twenty in all, and clipped them to his belt.
　As soon as he was done, Edgar immediately put his hand on the treasure chest.

"Come on, come on out. Come on out, treasure.